The present invention relates to a toner cartridge adapted to fit within a toner cartridge-receiving cavity of a printer.
Laser printers use a coherent beam of light, hence the term “laser printer,” to expose discrete portions of an image transfer drum thus attracting the printing toner. Toner is a mixture of pigment (most commonly black) and plastic particles. The toner becomes electro-statically attracted to exposed portions of the photoconductive transfer drum.
The photoconductive drum rotates opposite the developer roller, the developer roller being in fluid contact with the toner. The toner is transferred to paper, or other medium, as it passes over the rotating image transfer drum. Subsequently, the paper is heated so that the plastic is melted thereby permanently affixing the ink to the paper.
A particular failure of the devices of the prior art is the contact of the rigid photoconductive drum with the relatively soft developer roller. Given the toner cartridge may be in storage for long periods of time prior to sale or use, the contact between these two surfaces can result in a “flat spot” forming along the length of the relatively soft developer roller.
Therefore, what is needed is an efficient way of relieving the contact between the photoconductive drum and the developer roller during long periods of storage or non-use.